This essay examines the use of Olmec colossal heads as a central motif in the late work of Aubrey Williams (1926-1990). Focusing on four key paintings, Chato Presence (1982), Night and the Olmec (1983), Chato III (1984) and Hymn to the Sun IV (1984), it connects the colossal heads’ appearance to themes of decolonialism, diaspora and cross-culturality, which are fundamental for understanding the artist’s transnational life and practice. The works belonged to an epic cycle of 40 oil on canvas paintings known as the Olmec–Maya series, which were first exhibited in London in 1985 and represented the culmination of Williams’s lifelong engagement with Indigenous American aesthetics and archaeology. By locating the colossal head motif in relation to this trajectory and aspects of Guyana’s colonial history, particularly slavery, emancipation and its postwar indepedence struggle, it describes how Williams transformed these iconic sculptures into avatars of postcolonial vision.

中文翻译：

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奥布里威廉姆斯画作中的奥尔梅克巨像

本文考察了奥布里·威廉姆斯 (1926-1990) 后期作品中使用奥尔梅克巨大头像作为中心主题的情况。聚焦四幅关键画作：Chato Presence (1982)、Night and the Olmec (1983)、Chato III (1984) 和 Hymn to the Sun IV (1984)，将巨大的头像与非殖民主义、侨民和跨界主题联系起来-文化性，这是理解艺术家跨国生活和实践的基础。这些作品属于名为奥尔梅克-玛雅系列的 40 幅油画的史诗般的循环，该系列于 1985 年首次在伦敦展出，代表了威廉姆斯终生参与美国土著美学和考古学的高潮。通过将巨大的头部图案与圭亚那殖民历史的轨迹和各个方面，特别是奴隶制联系起来，